The world turns to bubbles and muffled sounds.
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Chapter 57
For a moment, it’s just the two of us. The rush of cool water, the feeling of his chest brushing mine, the way his hands linger just a little too long on my waist before we both break the surface again.
I come up gasping, pushing wet hair out of my face. “You cheated!”
Liam grins, wiping water from his face with one hand. “How, exactly?”
“You were supposed to let me dunk you.”
“That doesn’t sound fair.” He tilts his head, eyes glinting. “I think you just wanted an excuse to throw yourself at me.”
My stomach flips. I splash water in his face. “In your dreams, Calloway.”
His grin widens. “Oh, you have no idea.”
I freeze. Oh.
He doesn’t give me time to recover before he disappears under the water.
Before I can even react, hands wrap around my thighs, lifting me clean out of the pool. I shriek, instinctively grabbing onto Liam’s shoulders as he resurfaces, still holding me against him.
“Liam!”
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He laughs, spinning us both in a circle as I cling to him. “What? Didn’t see that one coming?”
My legs instinctively tighten around his waist, and that’s when I realize–oh. This is dangerous.
Because his hands are on my thighs, fingertips pressing into my skin like he’s holding back from something. Because my chest is way too close to his. Because his grin is still there, but his eyes have darkened just a little, and I know if I don’t get out of his arms right now, I won’t want to.
“Put me down,” I demand, voice way less steady than I want it to be.
Liam’s lips quirk. “Say please.”
I narrow my eyes. “I will drown us both.”
His laugh rumbles through me. “Fine, fine.” He loosens his grip, but instead of dropping me like a normal person, he lets me slide down his body.
I hate him. I hate him.
I hate the way my stomach clenches, the way my skin burns despite the cool water, the way his hands skim my sides as I settle back onto my feet.
I hate that when I look up, he’s still looking at me like he knows exactly what he’s doing.
“Better?” he murmurs, voice just for me.
I swallow. “I will get you back for this.”
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Liam smirks, backing away toward the deeper end. “Looking forward to it, sweetheart.”
Lacey’s voice cuts through the moment. “You two are disgusting.”
I whip around to find her lounging on her pool float, sunglasses perched on her nose. “I hate to break up whatever weird mating ritual you’ve got going on, but some of us are trying to relax.”
Liam barks out a laugh, and I groan, covering my face with both hands.
This isn’t happening.
Except it is.
And I have a feeling Liam isn’t done playing yet.
I ignore Lacey, or at least I try to. But it’s very hard to act normal when I can still feel Liam’s hands on me like a phantom touch.
I need a distraction. Fast.
So I swim toward Lacey’s float, reaching for the edge to flip her
over.
“Don’t you dare,” she warns, lifting her sunglasses just enough to glare at me.
I grin. “You’re right. I’d hate to interrupt your important sunbathing time-”
Before I can finish, hands grab me from behind.
And suddenly, I’m airborne.
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I shriek, flailing for all of one second before I hit the water with a massive splash.
I resurface with a gasp, wiping water from my face as Liam stands there, arms crossed over his chest, looking so damn
smug.
“Payback,” he announces.
“Oh, you’re dead.”
He only grins, backing up. “Catch me if you can, love.”
Oh, it’s on.
I launch myself at him, but Liam’s fast–too fast. He dodges easily, swimming just out of reach every time I get close.
It turns into a game.
Me, chasing him. Liam, laughing every time he escapes. The occasional splash battle, neither of us backing down.
I’m so focused on catching him that I don’t notice when he changes tactics.
One second, I’m reaching for him.
The next, I’m in his arms again.
“Gotcha,” he murmurs, his chest pressed against mine in the shallow end.
I realize, too late, that I’ve trapped myself.
Because his hands are back on my waist. Because the world
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has shrunk to just him, water dripping from his hair, his breath fanning against my cheek.
I should move. I should move.
But I don’t.
And neither does he.
“Admit it,” he says, voice lower now, rougher. “You like it when I win.”
I tilt my chin up, refusing to look away. “I’d rather drown.”
Liam laughs, but this time, it’s softer. Slower. His fingers flex against my skin, like he’s testing a boundary neither of us are really sure exists anymore.
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